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language cassettes starring you in the language you are trying to learn。 Orthodox
language teachers are likely to consider that something akin to doing your own eye
surgery。
I’ve found it extremely helpful。 At some point you will have gotten the hang of
pronunciation sufficiently to push the record button of your cassette player and recite
your own words and phrases onto a blank cassette。 Your pronunciation will not be good。
It may be bad。 But the value of being able to listen to a cassette with the words you need
and want at the moment – rather than a cassette prepared by somebody with no
knowledge of you； your desires； or your needs – much more than outweighs the
disadvantage of your imperfections。
So； get blank cassettes – the shortest possible – so you can start building a cassette
library of the words and phrases you want to know to supplement those the educators
who produced all the standard cassettes decided to teach you first。
It’s better to know the word – its meaning； its spelling； its use in sentences – even if
you have to listen to it in your unskilled accent； than not to know the word at all。
FLASH CARDS
Printed flash cards are available in the major languages。 They’re about the size of
business cards and usually provide a vocabulary of a thousand words。 Flash cards are the
most underrated language learning tool of all。 They’ve been around for decades and go
widely unused； even by those who own them。
Flash cards commonly list the English word （plus related words） on one side of the
card and their foreign equivalents on the other。 Some sets of flash cards give you a little
grammar at no extra cost； adding to the word itself the forms of that word a student of the
language should know。
The language student should reach for a fresh stack of flash cards before he leaves
home in the morning as instinctively as a policeman reaches for his badge。 The flash
cards； more than any other tool； can help the student take advantage of the day’s “hidden
moments；” the secret weapon upon which the promise and the premise of this method is
based。
Learn how to keep your flash cards handy。 Whip them out and flash test yourself
the instant you find yourself with the time。 （The person you’re walking with stops to look
at a shop window。 You’ve read the menu； finished the newspaper； and the waiter hasn’t
come yet。 The clerk has to validate your credit card。 There’s a line at the bank or at the
ticket counter。 The elevator seems to be stopping at all floors。） Learn how to draw those
cards out and start flashing even if all you’ll have is five seconds。 If the person you’re
telephoning doesn’t answer until the fifth ring； he’s given you time to go through two or
three entries。 Learn to be quick。 I’ve learned how to master a whole new Chinese
character between the time I dial the last digit and the time my party says hello。
BLANK FLASH CARDS
Whether you can locate prepared flash cards in your target language or not； go to your
nearest stationery store and get a hefty supply of blanks。 As you travel through the
language you’ll constantly come across new words； modern slang； special phrases you’d
like to know； cute sayings a native speaker teaches you at a party； and the like。 Capture
them immediately on your blank flash cards and carry a stack with you at all times。 In
later chapters when we learn how all these tools interrelate； you’ll realise the importance
of your own homemade flash cards。 Purists may quarrel about recording your own
foreign language vocabulary building cassettes。 Nobody can quarrel with you preparing
your own flash cards。
STURDIKLEERS
Sturdikleers are the handy celluloid or plastic packets that protect passports； driver’s
licenses； etc。 Find the size that best accommodates a stack of flash cards and pick up as
many as you need； or more。
FELT HIGHLIGHTER PEN
You’ll need a felt pen to mark all the words in your newspaper or magazine that you
don’t know。 Choose a colour that highlights but doesn’t obscure the word when you mark
it。
Those are the tools。 Now let’s go do the job！
The Multiple Track
Attack
So is there really a magic way to make learning a foreign language painless？
Yes and no。 We have some magic； all right； tricks and tactics that literally shovel
the language into your head； as opposed to your high school Spanish class that
teaspooned it in or didn’t bother getting it in at all。 The system； however； won’t work
unless you do。 There’s going to be pain； but you will have something – plenty – to show
for it。
The promise here is not gain without pain。 It’s the most gain for the least pain。
If you suddenly decide to get physically fit （just as you’ve decided to learn another
language） you wouldn’t sit around and wonder； “Let’s see。 We’ve got aerobic exercises；
free weights； stretching； high tech gym machines； jogging； swimming； vitamins； and
sensible nutrition。 Which one shall I use？”
Obviously； you’re going to use a mix of some or all of the above。 And that’s the
way to approach learning another language。 The multiple track attack simply parts from
the absurd notion that you should choose a grammar book or a cassette course or a reader
or a phrase book； instead； it sets you up with all of the above – and more –
simultaneously。
You will fail or you will succeed。 If you fail； your books； cassettes； dictionaries；
and scattered flash cards will litter your drawers and closets like so many unlifted
barbells； unswallowed vitamins； unsoiled workout suits； and unused jogging shoes。 They
will mock you every time your embarrassed eye falls upon them。
Succeed； and you’ll be the proud owner of another language。
Charles Berlitz says that saying a word or phrase aloud ten to twenty times is more
effective a learning technique than merely reading the same item fifty to one hundred
times。 Likewise； seeing a word or phrase in your grammar book fifty times does not
secure it in your memory as effectively as seeing it two or three times and them coming
across that same word or phrase by surprise in a newspaper or magazine or hearing it on
a cassette or in a radio broadcast or a movie or in conversation with a native speaker。
It may be hard to explain why the multiple track attack works； but it’s easy to prove
that it does。 It’s somehow related to the excitement of running into someone from your
hometown on the other side of the world。 You might have ignored him back home or
dismissed him with a “howdy；” but you’ll be flung into each other’s arms by the power of
meeting unexpectedly far from home。
The rub off effect kicks in nicely almost from the beginning of your effort as words
you learned from a flash card or cassette pop up in your workbook or newspaper。 Sure；
you will eventually conquer the word even if it occurs only in your grammar book or
your phrase book or on your cassette； but that learning involves repeated frontal assault
on a highly resistant unknown。 Let that same word come at you； however； in a real life
newspaper article and your mind embraces it as an old friend。
Attempting to master a language with a grammar book alone is too boring； with
phrase books alone； too superficial； with cassettes alone； too fruitless （except with
Pimsleur！）； and with dictionary and newspaper alone； impossible。 The multiple track
attack makes your work pay off。
Getting Started
Open your grammar to the first lesson。 Do you understand the first paragraph？ If so；
proceed to paragraph two。 If not； reread paragraph one。 Can you determine precisely
what it is that’s blocking you from comprehension？ If so； take a pencil （not pen） and
underline the word or words that are tripping you up。 Run a wavy pencil line down the
left hand margin of whatever confuses you。 That paragraph will never change。 The
grammatical point that the confusing paragraph seeks to make will remain as immutable
as Gibraltar until your mind decides to open up to it。 Comprehension frequently clicks on
like a light switch。 No rush。
Try to summarise what you don’t understand。 Pretend you’re writing a letter to your
aunt complaining about this ridiculous new language you’re trying to learn and； using as
few words as possible； encapsulate your confusion in writing。 Take that note and put it in
a Sturdikleer holder and carry it with you in your pocket or bag。 Get into the habit of
writing down everything that confuses with you and carrying it with you。 You will try to
find informants or mentors – either native speakers or others who’ve learned your target
language well enough to answer your questions。 Befriend the Korean grocer； the Italian
waiter； the Albanian at the pizzaria； your dentist’s Romanian secretary。 You don’t need
such people； but they’re extremely helpful and easier to locate than you might think； and
getti